


Stay? I Will.

by J_Hwang



Category: Dreamcatcher (Korea Band)
Genre: 16 years of crushing, Childhood Friends, F/F, Friends to Lovers, Idiots in Love, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-26
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-17 03:15:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,840
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29710794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/J_Hwang/pseuds/J_Hwang
Summary: 16 years of crushing on her younger friend, will she finally brave enough to be selfish? Or will she missed her change and let her go again?
Relationships: Han Dong | Handong/Kim Bora | SuA, Kim Minji | JiU/Lee Siyeon
Comments: 2
Kudos: 34





	Stay? I Will.

I was 8 and you were 6 when we first met. Your family moved into our neighborhood and we met at the park nearby. I was playing in the sandbox when suddenly a brown fluff ball ruined the castle that I built halfway. 

Being a short-tempered person, I got so pissed and ready to lash out at whoever the owner of the little four leg evil. But when I turned around, I could feel myself freezed. And when our eyes met, looking at you having that apologetic expression, my anger disappeared. 

Later I found out that she is the new neighbor that just moved in. Handong her name and they moved to Korea from China because of her father’s job. 

*****

I was 13 when I started to feel this tingling sensation whenever Handong was around. My palm sweat and my heart beat like crazy. I lost the ability to speak or act properly with her around. 

And I was 15 when my friend Minji told me something that struck me for the 15 years of my life.  _ “You my friend, is stupidly in love with Handong.”  _ that one sentence, stuck with me for the next few years. 

*****

When I turned 17 and in our last year of high school, 2 months before my graduation. Minji asked one day, out of the blue.  _ “Will you ever tell her about your feelings?”  _

Of course not. I don’t think I will ever tell her, I don’t even know if she likes me. Sure we are close, but still… liking you as a friend and liking you as in, I want to date you kind of like are different, right?

WELL! At least we still keep in touch even after I graduated high school and even when I moved to Seoul with Minji for college. Handong also came to join us in Seoul 2 years after and applied at the same college we went.

*****

I have always known Handong is always a free person, she is a free soul, the type that could not be tied down. She is not the type that could manage to stay in one place for long, she is adventurous I might say. Meanwhile me? I am too scared of a change, trying something new is a huge no for me. 

It’s been years since we graduated and moved one step forward into adulthood. I am now 29 and Handong turned 27 last month. I own a dance studio, which was also my dream since I was little. Minji opened a bakery and is now married to another close friend of ours and her long time girlfriend Siyeon. 

Handong…? Like I said, she is a free soul, an adventurous person. She left to travel the world after she graduated. Being an artsy person, she travels from one country to another to look for arts. Sometimes she will send some postcards, or even packages that consist of weird statues, small figures, or just some random things she thinks are “art”. 

And to think… It's been years too since I started having a feeling for her. And Minji never failed to nag me to just tell her about it one day. Oh… no Minji, no… not when she is never around like this, not when she enjoys her freedom going around doing what she likes. I don’t want to ruin that.

*****

Handong will be coming back home next week! It’s been 3? 4 years since I last saw her I think. And I missed her so much! Phone calls are just not the same, because I cannot hug her, hold her, touch her… oops, did I sound like a pervert? Haha 

She came to my studio to surprise me and oh she succeeded of course… I was so surprised that I screamed so loud all of my students and fellow trainers came to my office. To which of course I chase them away to give us privacy! 

She told me she came directly from the airport, still dragging on her luggage. I hug her tight, not letting go, telling her that I am so touched that I am the first person she thinks of the moment she arrives. She kissed my cheek, saying of course it will always be me. SHE KISS MY CHEEK! Oh! I will have to tell Minji about this! But no! She will tease me non stop if I do…

She waited for me at my office while I finished the papers that’s urgent before we went out for lunch.Catching up with each other, she shared her story with me, of people she met, places she went to, things she had done. Oh I might have said that her story was fun and eventful.

We went to Minji’s bakery after and Siyeon was there too, oh boy, the two of them ran straight to Handong pulling her into a bone crushing hug. I chuckled at the sight, it was cute and warm.

She stayed with me that night, because her parents had moved back to China a while ago and sold their house. At first she wanted to stay at a hotel, but of course I won’t allow that! Not under my watch! 

We talk a whole night over wine and late night foods, catching up on what we missed these past years, when the topic of relationships came up. She asked me if I ever had a plan to settle down, getting married, or if I have someone on my mind at the moment. 

How I want to tell her I do, but I could not… I freeze at my spot and regret asking her about hers. She told me that she dated this one girl she met when she stopped by France. Yuqi her name, fellow traveler from China. 

Seeing that I had no response, she waved her hand in front of me, asking if I am okay, and what’s on my mind, and I absentmindedly said, “I have someone that I had a crush on for more than 10 years…” and she looked at me shocked. 

Clapping my hands on my mouth, I looked at her just as shocked.  _ Oh boy, what did I just do?! _ I mentally asked myself. 

“Bora?” she softly called my name. Oh, how I like it when she calls my name softly like that. “Bora? Babe?” and I snap my head looking up to her,  _ WHAT DID SHE JUST CALLED ME?!  _ I know... I know… I am panicking inside right now. 

“What did you just...called me?” I stuttered, I know. “Babe…?” She tilt her head looking at me, OH SHE IS SO CUTE LIKE THAT! But I won’t tell her that of course! “Ba… wha… why… you…” I panicked and stuttered. She laughed and simply said, “Bora, it’s not even the first time I call you that, why are you so shy out of sudden?” 

OH! OH!! Yah… true… that’s how she calls me… what am I even thinking? KIM BORA! Get your head straight! I just sheepishly smiled at her and said it’s nothing. But then she asked me and I freezed once again, “So… who is this unlucky person that you had a crush on for years?” and I could see it in her eyes, is that sadness? Disappointment? Dejection? It’s… not a good expression.

“What do you mean unlucky! They should feel lucky to have my attention and heart okay!” I hit her and laughed, she laughed too, but something was lacking, the laugh not reaching me. “Have you… ever told them?” She asked. I stopped laughing, looked down and I softly answered, “No, never.” and she hummed.

Few seconds of silence feels like hours. She did not say anything after and I feel so hot now, maybe it’s because of the wine too, or I don’t know, embarrassment maybe? 

Then she said, “Why haven’t you told them?”

“I… They are not someone that likes to be tied down. They are a free soul, and I feel that it was only right for me to let them be free.” looking up, our eyes meet, and I saw her eyes soften, her expression change to a relieved one? Or is it?

“Why don’t you try? How long exactly Bora? I want to know.” She asked softly. And I thought… we are both under the influence of alcohol, there’s a chance she won’t remember about it tomorrow, might as well… right?

“Since I was 13… I think... “ And she gasped. “That was 16 years ago Bora… 16 years!” She said. “Yah…” I smiled sheepishly and scratched the non itchy part of my head.

“Will you ever tell them then?” She asked, is that hope that I heard in her voice? “I don’t think so… I think… I don’t want to be selfish I guess.” I said, not daring to look at her. 

“You know, it’s okay to be selfish sometimes, Bora.” She reached out to hold my hands, and she softly stroked it, with a soft voice she continued. “Why don’t you try to ask them to stay? Who knows maybe she will want to stay too?” 

Finally registering what she said, I snapped my head looking at her, “I... “ she raised her eyebrows at me, “You?” she teased.

“Will you… stay then?” I asked, hopefully…

“All you have to do is ask Bora… you know I will do anything for you.'' She smiled softly, and there I could finally see the one expression that I missed all this time, the loving stares, the soft warm looks that she has when she looks at me. Oh, I am an idiot… If only I realize it sooner instead of holding it for 16 years. Ah… I can already hear Minji calling me an idiot when I tell her about tonight. 

“So… you… I… we…” I stuttered again, UGH! I stuttered a lot tonight! What happened to me! But she laughed, and that’s all I want to hear, her laugh. And I laugh along with her for a while, before we calm down. 

“I am not going anywhere anymore.” She simply said. And that’s enough. 

*****

Staring at the big picture frame hanging on the living room wall, above the television, I smiled. 

Remembering the talk we had when we were in high school, where we jokingly said that if by the time Handong turned 30 and both she and I were still single, we should marry each other. And oh! Who knows the joke that we made that day became reality to use years later. 

She turned 30 a few months ago, and I turned 32 last week. We were married for 2 years, blessed with a little daughter. We named her Yubin. 

Handong still travels around sometimes, and I wouldn’t want to, nor have I ever even think of stopping her from doing so. She is doing what she loves to do, and I of course fully support it. Because I know, by the end of the day, she will always come home to me, to us.


End file.
